Latest news with #Armadillo
Glasgow Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
I saw John Legend perform at Glasgow's Hydro
US singer John Legend brought soul to the Hydro on Tuesday night by performing an intimate set to a smaller crowd than the arena is used to. A trio of backing singers signalled his entrance by teasing vocals before the Ohio-born star appeared dressed in a satin suit. He then asked: 'What's up Glasgow?' - before demanding, 'Get on your feet, c'mon,' to perform Get Lifted. (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) Used to Love You - the 2004 debut he wrote and produced with rapper Kanye West - then followed. With a little swagger, he then launched into the tracks that featured on his 2004 debut Get Lifted including the Snoop Dogg featured I Can Change and Alright. (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) The night was about celebrating the two decades since that album's release, and vocally Legend has never sounded better. This was particularly evident when he took it back to church for a performance of Take My Hand, Precious Lord. His voice was just beautiful. (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) He then laughed: 'I am having so much fun going back 20 years with you all.' This moment marked the start of him reminiscing about his career. He revealed he played piano when he was just starting out on Lauren Hill's Everything is Everything before demonstrating the beat he created with his voice for Kanye's Jesus Walks - which featured on the rapper's debut The College Dropout - and the sound was quite something. He also boasted his CV included writing credits on Estelle's American Boy while he sang background vocals on Alicia Keys' You Don't Know My Name. (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) This section of the show lifted the mood instantly as the atmosphere up until that point had been rather lacklustre. A crowd that small in the Hydro just gets lost, and it showed. READ NEXT: I saw Gary Barlow perform in Glasgow's Armadillo - my verdict READ NEXT: I saw Sophie Ellis-Bextor perform in Glasgow's Armadillo - my verdict (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) (Image: John Legend performs at the Ovo Hydro in Glasgow, May 2025. Picture by Calum Buchan.) Ordinary People however, impressed with the audience modestly singing along while the Meghan Trainor duet Like I'm Gonna Lose You showcased the prowess in his voice. Surprising a fan, he got her on stage for a dance, and she seized the moment making the audience laugh. Finishing things off, he showed off his own dance moves again on Green Light which featured Outkast's Andre 3000 while All of Me was the moment of the night. He signed off: 'It's been so beautiful hanging out with you.'
Glasgow Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Harry Potter's Miriam Margolyes ‘doesn't have long to live'
The star is known for her work as a character actor across film, television, and stage, receiving the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mrs Mingott in Martin Scorsese's 1993 film, The Age of Innocence. One of her most beloved parts was her turn as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film series which saw her character tackle Mandrakes. Ms Margolyes has issued a sad update whilst speaking to The Times, claiming that she "doesn't have long to live". READ NEXT: I saw Gary Barlow perform in Glasgow's Armadillo - my verdict READ NEXT: I saw Sophie Ellis-Bextor perform in Glasgow's Armadillo - my verdict Miriam Margolyes had surgery in 2023. (Image: Miriam Margolyes / Facebook) The 84-year-old said: "When you know that you haven't got long to live – and I'm probably going to die within the next five or six years, if not before, I'm loath to leave behind performing. It's such a joy. "I yearn to play roles that don't confine me to wheelchairs, but I'm just not strong enough.' Following years of living with spinal stenosis, the actress underwent major heart surgery back in 2023. Ms Margolyes opened up about these health struggles during a recent guest appearance on Jessie and Lennie Ware's Table Manners podcast. Missed a copy of the Oxford Mail you wanted? Here's what to do — Oxford Mail (@TheOxfordMail) May 13, 2024 "I've got a cow's heart now,' she said. "Well, not the whole heart. I've had an aortic valve replaced by a cow's aortic valve. "I don't know how common it is. I'd never heard of that operation. But it saves you from having open heart surgery, which would be infinitely more invasive."
Glasgow Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
I saw Sophie Ellis-Bextor perform in Glasgow's Armadillo
Can we adopt Sophie Ellis-Bextor and call her our own? The London-born singer brought disco to the Armadillo on Saturday night - and a whole lot of enthusiasm for the city. And flattery about this Scottish city will get you everywhere with Glasgow fans, Sophie. (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic Calum Buchan.) (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic Calum Buchan.) (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic Calum Buchan.) (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic Calum Buchan.) Looking as fabulous as ever, dressed head to toe in sparkles of course, the star opened up proceedings with Relentless Love before amping up the atmosphere with her cover of Cher's 1979 hit Take Me Home. She said - while rhyming off facts about Glasgow with the same ease as a native - 'It's always a pleasure to be here. 'I love Glasgow very much, I do. 'The city has been such a big part of me and my music . 'I remember playing King Tuts, Oran Mor, The Garage, and Kelvingrove. 'It's always a pleasure to come back.' (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic Calum Buchan.) (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic Calum Buchan.) (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic Calum Buchan.) (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic Calum Buchan.) (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic Calum Buchan.) (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) Showcasing those iconic velvet smooth vocals on Young Blood, the 46-year-old sounded exceptional while the new track Vertigo, taken from her upcoming album Perimenopop, gave fans a glimpse of what's to come. The party, however, really got started with a disco mix that included a cover of Modjo's Lady (Hear Me Tonight), ABBA's Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!, and of course, the song that launched it all for Sophie, Spiller's Groovejet (If This Ain't Love). What's great about Sophie is her ability to dance on stage like no one is watching. You're instantly drawn to her energy, and it's magnetic. She's geeky, truly knows who she is, and it's incredible to watch. Her voice is so unique, it gives her brand of disco an edge, and let's face it, you know when Sophie is singing. (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo in May 2025. Pic Calum Buchan.) Taking in the admiration from her fans, she asked: 'Shall I just cancel the rest of the tour? What is the point? 'Shall we just move here?' And with a resounding yes from the fans, it was time for that song that was given a new life thanks to a little movie called Saltburn. Murder on the Dancefloor sent the crowd into a complete frenzy, and rightly so, it's an incredible pop anthem. READ NEXT: I saw Anastacia live in Glasgow - and she revealed her Scottish 'addiction' READ NEXT: I saw Kylie Minogue at the Hydro in Glasgow - it was a legendary performance (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) (Image: Sophie Ellis-Bextor plays Glasgow's Armadillo May 2025. Pic by Calum Buchan.) Signing off with a smile, she said: 'Thank you, come see me again sometime,' before an encore of Bittersweet and a surprise appearance on the balcony to sing A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed.
The Herald Scotland
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Is Daryl Hall too tied to his past tunes?
Three Stars On a Saturday night in Glasgow - when half the world is watching Eurovision and the other half seems to be wining and dining in Finnieston - Daryl Hall has brought a skittish, uncertain energy to the Armadillo. Maybe it's first night nerves. This is the first date on a UK tour after all, though he has been recently playing in the States. Maybe there's a bit of 'divorced dad' restlessness at play in the wake of his sadly messy and rather bitter musical separation from his long-time partner John Oates. Whatever it is, it's not really helping. Three songs in, he's sitting at the piano, working his way through a couple of Hall & Oates 1980s hits, Kiss On My List and Private Eyes, but his heart doesn't seem to be in it. The 78-year-old sits at the piano and sings and scats his way through both with the air of a man who might prefer to be watching the Scissor Sisters across the road at the Hydro. On this evidence time has sandpapered some of the sweet edges off of Hall's voice. Always one of the great white soul singers, Hall now sings in a lower register, with less of the punch and power of his younger years. But the real issue seems to be that he feels a little tied to the songs that made his name when he'd rather be singing tunes from his latest album D or solo cuts such as Dreamtime or I'm in a Philly Mood. He even tells his audience he is going to be playing 'something for me, something for you,' at one point. Shouldn't they all be for the audience? 'I've got lots of cool songs,' he adds. He has and the audience is just as welcoming to new tunes such as Walking In Between Raindrops and Can't Say No to You, but the collective thrill that goes through the crowd when an old, familiar tune - Sara Smile, say, or Rich Girl - begins is hardly a surprise. It does help that his band bring a real Saturday night bar band feel to the occasion. They keep pushing forwards even in those moments when Hall seems to be idling. Shane Theriot on lead guitar and Porter Carroll Jr on percussion gussy up proceedings, although the real star is 79-year-old Charles DeChant, bedecked in gold lame jacket and looking like he has just walked out of a Muppets recording session with Dr Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. His saxophone lines are clean and clear and thrilling all night. The Armadillo has been made up to look like the set of Live From Daryl's House online music show this evening, so Hall should feel at home and as the evening wears on he does seem to settle in. There's a fine reading of I'm in a Philly Mood and the whole show goes up a gear on an extended version of the Hall & Oates song I Can't Go For That (No Can Do). Suddenly, everything comes together as Hall and his band retool an eighties hit into something that wouldn't sound out of place on Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees, before Theriot and DeChant break into a call-and-response duet between guitar and sax. But that's the last song of the main set. Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook - who had earlier rattled through a support slot accompanied by Hall's band - returns for the encore to sing with Hall on One On One and Squeeze's own Pulling Mussels (From the Shell) - conjuring up incongruous images of Daryl wearing a Kiss-Me-Quick hat and eating a 99 cone on the beach in Ayr - before the evening ends with a cover of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' tune Bad Luck - a nod to Hall's Philly roots. And then exit stage right, some 90 minutes after the set started. In Argyle Street the night is just beginning.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Natasha Bedingfield, BigXthaPlug & Ravyn Lenae Set for Northwestern University's Dillo Day Festival
Dillo Day, one of the nation's largest student-run festivals, will return May 17 with a headlining performance from Natasha Bedingfield. This year's festival will mark the 53rd annual event at Northwestern University's lakefront campus in Evanston, Illinois. Bedingfield – known for hits like 'Unwritten,' 'Pocketful of Sunshine' and 'These Words' – will close out the daylong celebration after sets from genre-defying Chicago artist Ravyn Lenae and rising hip-hop artist and Texas native BigXthaPlug. More from Billboard Lululemon's Viral $58 Purse Has Reviewers Ditching Their Designer Bags - and It's $10 Cheaper Than Last Year Pearl Talks Winning 'Masked Singer' Season 13 & Showing Viewers More Than 'This Redneck Y'all Keep Talkin' About' Walton Goggins Has One Question Ahead of His 'Saturday Night Live' Debut: 'Who's Gonna Die?' This year's festival also marks a meaningful return to Dillo Day's origins: Armadillo World Headquarters, the legendary Austin, Texas, music venue-turned-mission-driven cultural brand, will serve as an official partner of Dillo Day 2025. The festival's moniker, 'Dillo Day,' was originally coined by Northwestern students from Texas who were inspired by the vibrant Austin music scene and the Armadillo — a beloved symbol of their home state. The Armadillo partnership will featre various activations, including a classic Armadillo photo booth and merchandise giveaways. Additional artists performing at Dillo Day include indie rock stars Slow Pulp and U.K.-based electronic success nimino. Past Dillo Day performers include Kendrick Lamar, Chance the Rapper, Steve Aoki, Black Eyed Peas, Wiz Khalifa and The Ramones. The breadth of talent showcases the festival's reputation for attracting both breakout and classic talent. 'Dillo Day is truly unlike any other college concert or festival in the world. We bring two stages of world-class talent to our students for free, as well as an entire festival ground outfitted with brand activations, food trucks and activities,' said Mayfest Productions co-chair Alex Kahn in a release. 'The Mayfest Productions team works tirelessly all year to bring Dillo Day to life.' Now in its 53rd year, the festival draws over 10,000 attendees, the majority of whom are Northwestern students. Organized entirely by undergraduate students through Mayfest Productions, Dillo Day is fully student-run — from artist booking and corporate sponsorship to marketing, operations and production. Tickets for guests of undergraduates are $30, and $35 for graduate students, alumni and Evanston residents. Best of Billboard Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Pentatonix & Train Will Bring Their Holiday Hits to iHeart Christmas Concert Fox Plans NFT Debut With $20 'Masked Singer' Collectibles 14 Things That Changed (or Didn't) at Farm Aid 2021
